South African women entrepreneurs seek stronger links with Singapore and ASEAN markets
Ms. Mahadi Buthelezi, President of the International Women’s Federation of Commerce and Industry South Africa (IWFCI SA), will participate in South Africa Focus Week Singapore 2026, her first visit to Singapore, with a focus on expanding economic opportunities for South African women-owned enterprises. The business mission will provide an opportunity to develop connections with Singaporean and ASEAN business ecosystems in areas including markets, capital, procurement, technology, investment and strategic partnerships.
Ms. Buthelezi, a South African businesswoman, entrepreneur and property-sector leader with more than two decades of experience in the property sector, is Co-Founder and Group CEO of RB Property Group. Through her leadership of IWFCI SA, she has focused on advancing women’s economic participation, entrepreneurship, market access and ownership.
IWFCI SA is the South African chapter of an international platform supporting women’s participation in commerce, industry, entrepreneurship and leadership. Its work includes connecting women entrepreneurs and women-owned enterprises with business networks, markets, capital, enterprise development, procurement opportunities and international business relationships.
For Ms. Buthelezi, international engagement should lead to measurable commercial outcomes. “Women do not simply need access to the room. We need access to the economy — to ownership, capital, markets, procurement, technology and the international relationships through which businesses grow,” she said.
She also sees Singapore as an opportunity for two-way engagement. “We should not only ask what Singapore can offer South African women-owned businesses. We should equally ask what South African women-owned businesses can offer Singapore and ASEAN.”
Her approach to international market access centres on four priorities: prepare, position, connect and convert. This includes preparing enterprises for international markets, positioning them according to relevant opportunities, connecting them with buyers, investors and strategic partners, and converting relationships into commercial outcomes.
Ms. Buthelezi is also interested in opportunities at the intersection of the She Economy, Digital Economy and Green Economy, particularly within the sustainable built environment. Areas of interest include green buildings, energy efficiency, smart buildings, sustainable infrastructure, green building materials, water technologies, circular-economy solutions and PropTech.
She believes women’s participation in emerging sectors should extend to ownership and value creation. “Representation matters. Participation matters. But sustainable economic empowerment must eventually become visible in ownership, markets, capital, contracts and wealth creation.”
Following South Africa Focus Week, Ms. Buthelezi advocates 30-, 60- and 90-day commercial conversion tracking to assess market-entry pathways, investment discussions, procurement opportunities, partnerships and transactions. For her, the value of the mission will ultimately depend on whether relationships developed in Singapore translate into tangible economic outcomes. “If we return home inspired but nothing changes economically, we have not yet completed the work,” she said.
Source: Mahadi Buthelezi
